CAD e70 Modular Dual-Capsule Condenser Microphone  

For the price, these are hard to beat as SDC's go.  They beat the heck out of other cheap SDC's such as the MXL 603/604/993 series, and IMHO, are right up there with the Oktavas for clarity.  The pad roll off switches add a real degree of flexibility, as does the switchable capsules.  They've got a lot of "air", but don't get sizzly on cymbols or strummed acoustic guitar.  Get 'em for anywhere south of $100 and you've got braggin' rights.

I bought a pair of these because I was on a budget.  I use them for concert/recital recording, and acoustic instruments.  After the first recording with these, I was really impressed. The second time, I was able to borrow a Schoeps Decca tree for a full orchestra, with DPA 4011 spots.  I decided to compare how these sounded next to the schoeps/dpa's.  (if you don't know, these mics can run up to $1800 each). I set these CAD's up in ORTF, and recorded the two versions of the same songs.  They came out surprisingly comparable.  These CAD's sound out of it's class.  The cymbals sound brighter, but not irritating.  It was did not quite have the schoeps clarity for strings, but still sounded extremely extremely clear and true. It has switchable capsules, physically, not a flip switch.  It comes with a separate omni capsule.  I'm thinking about getting another pair to use in  decca tree. Totally worth getting.